Alexander Isak remains Liverpool’s number one target as they look to sign a striker after cashing in on Darwin Nunez.
However, the Reds’ transfer policy of only paying what they believe is fair market value raises questions about his next move.
Isak is training away from the first team at Newcastle United, a reflection of his desire to leave the club and pursue a move to Anfield.
He was also not present at a player-family bonding barbecue on Wednesday morning, a footnote to a miserable summer for the Magpies.
From the outside, it looks increasingly untenable, but senior sources at St James’ Park continue to insist that he is not for sale.
Al Hilal have agreed a £45.9m deal to sign Darwin Nunez (Photo: Getty)
Last Friday, Liverpool indicated that they would not bid again given the strength of Newcastle’s rejection of their initial £110m offer for the Sweden international.
But interest remains and he is one of the few targets they have assessed that fit their recruitment criteria of being sufficient quality to start.
However, The i Paper can reveal that also on Liverpool’s list of requirements for any target is that the player is “realistically attainable” and a deal would represent “fair market value”.
With Newcastle’s valuation of Isak understood to be closer to £150m, whether they can negotiate a deal that ticks those boxes depends on who you talk to.
From St James’ Park the message remains an uncompromising no, especially given the difficulties they have had in recruiting a striker.
Those in Isak’s camp, however, believe applying pressure to the situation may force them to buckle.
But Newcastle are yet to make a breakthrough in replacing Callum Wilson, never mind the onerous task of finding Isak’s successor, which was not on their radar at the start of the window.
A club record move for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko is on the brink of collapse after he indicated a preference to move to Manchester United, the latest setback in a summer of transfer missteps.
The i Paper understands Newcastle are ready to move on to Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, who they rate at around the £60m mark, but there would need to be movement from the Blues who value him closer to £70m.
Jackson’s inconsistency last season means he would not represent a popular pick for supporters but he rates highly on a number of performance metrics and there is a belief among many recruitment executives that he has a very high ceiling.
Newcastle maintain an interest in Brentford’s Yoane Wissa, who they rate at £30m, some way short of the Bees’ valuation.
They have money to spend, and the departure of Martin Dubravka to Burnley and an imminent loan move for Odysseas Vlachodimos to Sevilla will provide more financial headroom, but are struggling to convince their targets to join them.
It adds to a sense of Newcastle’s summer unravelling and the optics of Nunez moving to Al-Hilal, who are 60 per cent owned by the Magpies’ majority owners PIF, are certainly puzzling.
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The £45.9m fee for Nunez will help strengthen Liverpool’s hand when it comes to brokering a deal for Isak.
PIF are a huge investment portfolio, of which Newcastle are a small part, and sources have always been clear that the club operates independently to the rest of their stable.
But inertia at St James’ Park seems to have been damaging, with no chief executive or director of football during a critical period for the club.
That will change imminently but PIF are yet to make a commitment on the club’s new training ground or stadium, adding to the sense of frustration.
Contrast that to the way Liverpool work.
They have sanctioned the sale of Nunez because it works for them, having rejected a move to Napoli earlier in the window because neither the fee nor payment plan worked for the Reds.
This was despite Nunez and his agent reiterating his desire to leave at the start of the summer.
That a departure was negotiated fairly cleanly and with the player on board is in stark contrast to what is going on at Newcastle.